The Hidden Lake
by HawkinsLab
Summary: A short story set during the aftermath of the Battle of the Ridge of a Thousand. Character study of the vermin and their ruthless nature and the challenges they fail to overcome. Please read and review! Complete.


_**The Hidden Lake**_

 _ **A Short Story of Redwall**_

Death covered the ridge, like a blanket it seemed to touch every portion of the rocky passage. As his eyes slowly opened, and he peered out toward the battlefield where all of his fallen comrades lay; he tried to remember what had come before.

Hundreds of Rapscallions strewn across the ridge, killed by the likes of moles, hares, otters and voles, he thought in disbelief.

Had we known this would be our fate following Damug Warfang, we would never have joined the Firstblade.

It was nearly the end of summer, the days were growing shorter and night was falling over the ridge as he sat up and looked over the wounds that covered his body. I was presumed dead by that crazed badger and her hares, I am fortunate to be alive.

The weasel knew it would not be long before the Abbeydwellers returned to bury the mass beneath the ridge. I need to be well away from here lest I join them in the grave, he thought as he rushed down the east side of the ridge.

As he hurried to find a place to lick his wounds, he heard a moan of pain cry out from amid the dead and he paused. Another of the Rapscallions had survived?

He considered leaving anyway, unconcerned with his fellow vermin's life. Especially when he heard the clamor of footsteps from the forest just beyond the ridge. Those hares were returning to finish the job!

But still... might be something I can use to escape them once and for all. The scout rushed back toward the battlefield, listening as best as he could for the source of the cry for help.

At last he saw what it was, beneath a pile of other Rapscallions was a vixen he recognized quite well. "Ye be the one who always wuz conversin' with Rinkul, weren't ya?" he asked as he looked at the severe wounds the fox was suffering.

"Nevermind that ferret, he died durin' the battle. Get me outta here and I can help us find our way to freedom!" the vixen pleaded.

The weasel thought it over as he pushed aside the dead and helped the vixen to her feet. "Yur juz gonna slow me down! Them Long Patrol hares ur already on their way here!" he stammered nervously. He could hear their rallying cry getting louder. "If ye don't help me escape, I will call out and send us both to the grave!" the vixen snarled angrily.

Cursing under his breath, he pulled her toward a small crevice that was on the southwest side of the ridge, hunkering down near a patch of rocks. The group of beasts from the Abbey were overlooking the devastation of the battlefield, remembering all theirs that fell.

Night fell over the ridge as the fox and the weasel watched them bury the Rapscallions.

A group of moles searched through the bodies on the north side and the weasel watched as they tossed aside the broken bones of Warfang himself to recover a mighty axpike that he recalled the fearsome badger swung.

The moles had dug a pit near a rock where Damug and his thousand strong had once controlled the ridge and planted it there as a monument to the battle itself. The weasel suspected that none like it had occurred near the hallowed abbey in a long time.

Once the moon hung over the ridge and they were alone, the vixen spit on the ground and snarled, "Good riddance to 'em! I hope we never see that blasted abbey again!"

The weasel couldn't help but to agree as he examined the poetry written on the flag that bore the Rapscallion's mark.

Slumber through twilight, sleep through the dawn, Bright in our memory from first light each morn, Rest through the winter beneath the soft snow, And in the springing, when bright blossoms show.

Warriors brave, who gave all you could give, Offered your lives so that others would live. No one can tell what my heart longed to say When I had to leave here, and you had to stay.

Aye, there are memories that die hard and others that we want to keep forever. What courageous creatures they were; as the Long Patrol would say, perilous!

He shook his head, surprised at the versatility of the forest dwellers of Mossflower and then took up a stray rapier, and turned toward the vixen.

"Ye said ye had a way out of here? Well start a yappin' or ye might be joinin' Warfang under this ridge!" the weasel snarled as he waved the weapon toward her face.

"Rinkul told me about the streams that ran east of here, a vast sea that is somehow trapped amid them ridges and trees. A perfect place for us te flee to, what say ye?" the fox answered with a sneaky smile.

"Humph, ye really believe the wurds of that numbskulled ferret? He half left the Rapscallions afore Damug e'n took over! What makes ye think he was tellin' yur the truth?" the weasel asked with a scoff.

"Cuz he wuz a coward and a fool, dat's why! Always talkin' about leavin' the Rapscallions and thinkin' nobody was listenin'!" the vixen answered as they made their way down the empty battlefield.

"I ken't argue with that, I suppose," he admitted as they finally reached a small grove where the weasel decided to settle for the night and treat his wounds.

"How many others ye think survived that bloody hill?" the vixen asked as he made them a fire.

"Last thing I remember Bluggach was tauntin' that ole waterhog, then everyfin went black across me eyes," the weasel admitted as he shivered and tried not to feel the pain that coursed through his body.

"Mayhaps Rinkul told others of this hidden lake?" the vixen suggested with a shrug. "We will see when tomorrow dawns, besides, we haven't even made proper introductions yet, ye old foxwife!" the former Rapscallion pointed out.

"I don't see the need, we both have each other fer survival and nuthin' else! But if ye insist, me name be Seveq. What be yours?" the dark fox muttered as she struggled to enjoy the fire.

"Gaduss, Rapmark of the Firstblade. But I suppose that life is behind me now... so juz Gaduss," the weasel answered. The two said nothing further as the sky grew blacker and then turned over to rest, knowing the journey toward this safe haven would be a long and treacherous one.

XXXX

Gaduss woke first, the autumn season air pressing a harsh wind against his bloody fur and forcing him to search for sap in nearby grass to use as ointment.

As he searched along the south path that was a day's journey from the abbey, he looked toward the building where Damug had dreamed of crafting a new fortress for his Rapscallions. He should've known that Redwall has a reputation even greater than Salmandastron.

But he didn't need to focus on the past, just surviving the challenge of reaching safety. And all he had to go on was the words of a dying vixen who had received her instructions from a treacherous ferret.

He peered down the path, looking toward the winding forest of Mossflower where the Rapscallions had crossed and listened to the words of the supposed Seers. I could leave now before Seveq awakes, and find this ole hidden lake all by meself.

Before he had made up his mind, the older vixen appeared from the grass munching on a few wildberries and snarled, "Tryin' to sneak off wifout me eh?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," he lied as he grabbed some of the berries from her paw and stuffed it into his mouth.

"We better move out afore there be any travelers on this road, its about another two or three days journey to the coast, and who knows how long to this lake o'yours," Gaduss snarled as he took the lead.

He didn't even bother to see if Seveq was following closely behind. This vixen is going ta continue to slow me down, he thought once he was safe in the eastern treeline.

"What type of wounds be slowin' yer down, foxwife? Maybe I should slay ye here afore we get caught by squirrels connected to that one we caught? I know a plenty be hidin' in these trees, eager to set upon us," Gaduss asked as he looked at the fox's legs.

"I think I might'a broke a few bones. Give me time and I will be scalin' trees to find them squirrels," the vixen snarled back.

"Ye needs medicine, sometin' to tend to the aches and de pains," Gaduss realized as he tried to think of where they might be able to go. None in Mossflower would be willing to treat their wounds, and the chances of making it to the river were slim if the fox did not try to overcome her injuries.

"Maybeeee ayeeee can helllp you travelerssssss," a voice said from amid the foliage. The weasel immediately pulled his knife and looked about, nervously unsure where the noise had come from.

"There'sssss no neeeed to fearrrrr. Ayeeee come in peaceeeee," the voice said and the two vermin looked up to see a small male adder moving amid the vines of the trees.

"Hold ye ground, Gaduss. Them snakes be vicious and unloyal to any!" Seveq warned her partner as the adder slithered closer.

"Hurtful wordsssss, esssspecially for two that sssssseek aide from meeee," the adder hissed as he opened his pale yellow eyes and looked at the two.

"Ye know where we can find some medicine fer the foxwife?" Gaduss asked.

"I have nuh need for a husband! I can speak fer me own self and will stand upright on me own afore I trust this slitherin' thing!" Seveq snarled back.

"Wipe your snout, Ye old fool! We can't have Ye hobblin' all the way to the lake! Where would Ye send us, ya nasty snake?" Gaduss asked. The snake slithered a little closer and hissed, "Ssssearch the ssssouthern groves. There the healer, the mighty ssssssilver Fox you will find."

"I still don't trust ya," Seveq muttered. "Give me yourrrrr foodssss and I will let youuuu make it toooo the healer, foxxxxx," the young adder snapped back.

"We can't survive without food," Gaduss muttered. "Itssss that or youuu become my breakfasssst," the snake snarled back.

The weasel looked down at the food he was carrying and sighed passing it toward the hungry snake. "A wisssse choicccceeee," The adder hissed as it grabbed the small bag and then slid off into the grass.

"Ambushed by a no legs, not exactly what I would call a crowning achievement, Gaduss," the vixen teased.

"If this healer is real it will worth it ya old fool, come on," the weasel said as they took to the edge of the woods and moved further south.

Neither of them said a word as they traveled, the vixen using a stray branch as a cane as they slowly traced the path thru the woods. There was little sign nor sound coming from any of the nearby trees and it was almost enough to make Gaduss feel uneasy.

He missed the security of being in a large group of vermin, the confidence it gave him to be a Rapmark. He doubted he would ever be able to experience such a life like that again.

Soon they found themselves close to the southern reaches of the winding path, and Gaduss held up his paw realizing that he heard something off in the distance.

"What is that noise?" Seveq asked as she sniffed the air and realized it was the smell of fresh food. Somehow it seemed that the vixen had forgotten her injury as a feverish hunger took over her and she ran into the thickening woods.

Gaduss followed behind and listened to the sound realizing that it was music being played nearby and he was a tad more hesitant.

The two of them burst thru a patch of tall grass and immediately found themselves surrounded by a group of water rats.

The tribal rats raised their ears in surprise as Seveq and Gaduss showed themselves and one pointed a weapon in case the two were dangerous.

"She's hurr Ye fool! We heard there be a fox healer somewhere nearby!" Gaduss explained to the water rats.

From the middle of the camp a larger vermin appeared as though a mist. But as he drew closer the weasel realized it was the silver fox that the adder had mentioned.

Surprisingly the snake was now snug on the neck of the fox as though the two were a pair and the fox laughed wickedly toward the two of them. "Good work Nachasssh. More slaves for the coming raid," the male fox said, his soft grey eyes focusing on the aged vixen who was limping now from all the running she just did.

"Thissss one will need a bit of tending to, sssssir Argenti," Nachassh hissed as the fox looked at her wounds.

"I hope my magicks can heal you, vixen. My marauders have no need for an ailing slave," Argenti muttered.

"We are slaves ta no beast!" Gaduss snapped back. "Would you prefer becoming a snack for my partner?" The silver fox asked. Gaduss looked down at the ground angrily realizing they had been tricked and wondering what these marauders intended to accomplish.

Soon the celebration of the tribe continued as he sat back and chewed on a few stray mushrooms, pondering over his predicament.

Argenti the strange silver and gray fox was performing some type of cleansing ritual on the aged vixen as the moon glowed bright. And the water rats that seemed to revere the fox as some talisman danced and got drunk on gooseberry wine as the night continued.

Gaduss kept one eye open the entire night as he looked toward the fox and the adder, and tried to listen to any snippets of conversation that might reveal what their plan was. The one thing he did determine was the group planned to leave for the east in the morning. But he had no intentions of sleeping. Even if that fox trusts the snake, I will keep my rapier near my paw all night he decided.

When dawn arrived the former Rapmark found that no snake or any other creature had attacked him, and Seveq was standing overtop his nest of leaves looking quite healthy.

"That silver fox is magick through and through Gaduss. I feel like I'm a few seasons younger!" The vixen said excitedly.

The weasel stood and looked at her fur and realized she had lost a little coloring over the course of the night and wondered what strange ritual Argenti had performed to heal his companion.

"I think it's high time we spoke with this healer, so we can get a few things straight," Gaduss decided as he pushed his way to the front of the camp.

Argenti was busy using a small knife to cut apart pieces of a fresh chestnut as the weasel approached and he flashed his blue eyes toward him in a mischievous way.

"Ah, came to thank me did you? No need my friend, the service is free. Turns out your friend here merely needed a little fluid in her and some herbal tricks to set her straight," Argenti commented.

"You mentioned last night that your water rats are preparing to attack somewhere. I feel that as outsiders to your tribe, we need to determine if that is a battle we wish ta partake in," Gaduss answered.

"I don't recall giving you a choice, slave. Need I remind you that Nachasssh has a pretty big appetite," Argenti commented as he gobbled up the chestnut.

"What I'm sayin' is we need ta know how we can help," Gaduss said choosing his words a bit more carefully. This fox sounded more prone to execution than Damug ever had been he realized.

"A day's journey from here, we received word from some magpies that there is a hidden lake. It's ripe for the taking, only a few stray tribal shrews protecting the island that lies in its center. Nothing this legion of marauders can't handle," the silver fox answered.

Gaduss did his best to hide his surprise recalling how Seveq had also told of such a place. Perhaps our luck is turning around after all, Gaduss reasoned as he vowed respectfully to the healer.

"We can offer ourselves to Ye, Argenti. There is no task to hard for the likes of us!" The weasel swore.

The silver fox nodded and stood up looking toward the sky as if for some sort of sign.

"I'm counting on that, we have a full day's march ahead of us, slave. Best get yourself something in your belly before we leave!" Argenti said as he returned to his tent.

Rushing back to where the vixen was eating a helping of ginger root and elder berries, Gaduss tugged her aside to tell her what he had learned.

"I knew Rinkul wasn't ta liar!" Seveq said clasping her paws together.

"Argenti seems confident we can overwhelm the shrews that rule the island with the help of magpies, do you know much about birds, vixen?" Gaduss asked.

"I ken handle a few, they like shiny things," Seveq remarked.

"Then price how valuable we are to Argenti when we arrive at the birds nests this evening! Some thin' valuable to gain their loyalty," Gaduss explained.

"Ye want me to get in the graces of the silver fox?" Seveq asked. "It's the only way we can move up in the ranks as more than juz slaves in his eyes," Gaduss explained.

The vixen nodded absently and agreed to the idea even as Argenti returned and got his water rats ready for the day's march.

As lower slaves in the band of vermin, Gaduss and Seveq were forced to carry Nachasssh on their backs, although the adder wasn't really that heavy for the two of them the idea of having to do so was humiliating to the weasel.

Still Gaduss remained silent as they moved toward the eastern horizon, trudging across Mossflower with the hope of finding this new Home.

As the day wore on the weasel realized that none of the water rats were really considered equals to Argenti and he began to wonder if any amongst them would be favored in the fox's eyes.

Are we all fodder to this vain vermin? He gritted his teeth and pushed onward, certain that if given a chance he would finish off the fox himself.

Finally they arrived near a particularly large thicket of trees that merged with a mighty stream and Argenti raised his paws to his mouth and made a peculiar sound.

From amid the grove a few magpies cawed and flew down, eagerly taking up the last of the water rat's food.

Their leader, a plump looking magpie; clacked his beak toward Argenti saying, "Caw! Return you did, silver Mark! Caw! And your tribe has grown doubly so since then! Caw!"

"Athrak, my faithful watcher. What news do you bring from the hidden lake?" The silver fox asked as Gaduss and Seveq let the adder down. Quickly Nachasssh slithered over toward his partner, but the healer kicked him away as though irritated by the snake.

"I cannot tell you much, caw! You know what we desire!" Athrak answered as he hopped around the camp and tried to find anything of value.

Seveq had waited for this moment and pulled out an old chain that had once belonged to Rinkul, it shined brighter in the sunset than it was truly worth but it immediately caught the attention of the magpie.

"There will be more where that came from Ye ugly bird, now tell Lord Argenti more about this island!" Seveq told the magpie as she tossed the trinket.

The bird happily snatched it up and began to relay the information to Argenti, But Gaduss wasn't really listening to the story. He could tell from the strange sparkle in the silver fox's eyes that what Seveq had done to show her craftiness and spirit was admirable in his eyes.

There might be a chance for us after all, Gaduss thought wickedly.

"The island is not what Ye have to worry about, caw! Tis the Teeth of the Deep that will end your day's," Athrak reported to the silver fox.

Argenti rubbed his chin thoughtfully and looked toward his water rats.

"How close is this tribe of shrews, the ones that cross the lake regularly?" He asked.

"An hour across the stream, caw. But don't expect us magpies to help Ye against them dangerous beasties. The Teeth of the Deep consume everything! Caw!" Athrak answered smartly and then flew off into the night.

Gaduss sat on a tree log close to the two foxes as they discussed their plan, already Argenti was beginning to see Seveq as his equal.

"The shrews, we seen them afore when Warfang crossed from the Eastern Coast. They were a part of the force near the ridge!" Seveq worried.

"Yes, aided by hares, squirrels, mice and the lot. But alone they may not be able to handle our Guards. Gaduss, how many are under our command?" Argenti asked.

He looked about the tribe for a moment and answered, "At least three hundred milord."

"The shrews would be fools to not surrender. And then by midday we would be well on our way to conquering this island," Argenti said with a sinister smile.

"Do Ye really think so?" The vixen asked.

"Think of it, a paradise where we can make our future without interruption from the threat of any abbey or badger Lord!" Argenti said excitedly, his eyes glistening.

"I remember these streams well, we can use them to encircle the shrew camp, steal the log boats and make toward the lake without them ever knowin'," Gaduss suggested.

Argenti looked toward the weasel and cocked his head. "I may have misjudged you, slave. It is no wonder you held rank in a mighty army once," the silver fox commented.

"I figure yewould want ta save our forces, should there be any problems once we reach this island," Gaduss reasoned as he tried to hide his excitement.

At last he will recognize me in the same light as Seveq, he thought as Argenti nodded and moved toward the inner circle of the camp.

"Very good, tomorrow we steal their log boats. And then head for the hidden lake," he decided.

Gaduss wickedly rubbed his paws together, knowing that he would do his best to prove himself to the fox.

XXXXX

Morning came quicker than he expected as Nachasssh slithered close to his head and whispered, "The time for sssssleep is over sssslave."

Gaduss woke with a start as he peered at the adder, trying to figure out what his story was. "How long ya been with ole Argenti?" The weasel asked casually as he followed the snake toward the patrol of water rats.

"Not too long, why do you asssssk?" Nachasssh asked as they moved along the riverbed. "Oh, it's nothin' I as just noticin' iffn you sup'd to be his right hand then why he kick in' ye away the moments a pretty vixen show'r face in camp," Gaduss said with a shrug.

The snake's eyes flickered for a minute as though recognition was crossing his face and he said nothing. Gaduss knew he had hit a sore spot. If I can get that slithering thing to turn on Argenti, Seveq and I can take over these water rats, he thought.

The silver fox wrapped a dark cloak around his body as he took the lead, crossing the water with a large axe in his right hand. Gaduss would hate to be on the receiving end of such a brutal instrument.

As he submerged his cloak in the water, the weasel tried not to rub his eyes in astonishment. It was as though the cloak was allowing the fox a form of invisibility, shimmering only against the water's edge every so often.

What sort of magick does this fox possess? It made him feel very frightened especially as they drew closer to the shrew camp. Was Argenti sending them to die while he had Seveq stole off into the evening? He held his knife in his sharp fangs and crossed the river as quickly as possible, determined to keep a close eye on the crafty foxes.

From in front of them Gaduss heard a few stray instruments, but their music was nothing compared to the strange incantations of the water rats. Instead the shrews were using strings and drums and flutes to play a cheerful tune; perhaps still celebrating after the defeat of Warfang.

"Now be the opportune moment to steal away on their ships, milord," Gaduss advised.

"Hold your tongue lest you give away our position," Argenti snarled back as Nachassh slithered up onto his neck.

The weasel lowered his head down and obeyed even as the water rats scoured the land to search for the boats.

Then from amid the tall grass a small patrol of shrews emerged and were caught by surprise as they stared in horror at the large silver fox.

Swiftly Argenti raised his mighty ax and killed them before they had a moment to warn any of their comrades.

"To the south Stream," Argenti told his commanders as he dramatically fluttered his cloak.

Gaduss was staring at the shrews that lay slain on the grass and realized that one was still alive. The straggler cupped his paws together and called out, "Logalogalogalog!"

From amid the tree line the music began to fade and Gaduss felt his heart drop. The others under the command of Argenti snatched up their daggers and swords, running down the right side of the Stream.

Pulling the shrew next to him, the weasel used the now dead beast as a shield as a flurry of arrows crossed the forest skyline.

The chant of the shrews grew louder as they emerged from the grass and underbrush armed to the teeth.

A battalion of the water rats turned to face them as the others found the log boats and started to untie them from the rocks.

Gaduss smartly kept the dead shrew over his back side as he worked to help Seveq get one of the larger boats and push it toward the flowing stream.

The shrews numbered about thirty, nothing that the water rats couldn't handle. But the weasel also remembered the strength he thought they had at the ridge and that was enough for him to decide not to join the frontlines.

As the boats became untethered the large battalion of water rats hurried to the dozen log boats and heard the shrews shout insults to them as the river took them away.

"That won't be the last we sees of em, I can guarantee that," Seveq snarled as she settled down in the log boat.

"It might take them a week to rebuild their boats, plenty of time to establish a camp on the island. Once we have it under our command, none in this area will oppose us," Argenti reassured them.

None of the vermin said a word as they drifted down the stream, watching the sun dip over the horizon behind them. Night fell like a shroud, covering the hazy river with a myriad of sparkling reflections.

As the river grew broader, the lights grew stronger and expanded across an awesome sea, stretching to the farthest shore that he could see.

The water rat command took turns rowing, using the small twigs and branches that the shrews had near the boats to push further across the lake.

Gaduss scratches at his back and tried to not think of how badly he was starving even as Argenti peered into the lake searching for a bite.

Using his bare paws, the silver fox grabbed a small carp from the water easily gutting it with his axe in less time than it took for the weasel to blink.

As Argenti carefully sliced apart the fish, Gaduss tried his best not to lick his lips. Then he passed a portion of the Carp to his faithful snake that quickly snatched it up.

As the two finished eating, Seveq could not remain quiet any longer and snarled, "What are we, pups? Give us sum meat!"

The silver fox looked up at the vixen, a glint in his eyes as he was surprised by her bold attitude. Then he tossed the remaining meat of the carp to her before commenting, "You needn't worry about malnourishment. Once we are on the island, we will have create for ourselves a bountiful harvest. And these water rats will tend to us as we bask like a king and queen," Argenti told her.

Gaduss said nothing as the two foxes looked at each other, an obvious attraction beginning to grow between them. The weasel wasn't certain if it was simply because they both shared a mutual vicious attitude, or because Argenti felt he could really establish a kingdom alongside the older vixen.

I need to be certain I am there alongside them, he thought sourly even as Seveq passed him the last little bite of fish. The weasel gobbled it down hastily as the night wore on. He closed his eyes, dreaming of the kingdom that Argenti sought.

XXXXXXX

A cold chill from the north caused the log boats to rock gently against the still lake as all of the rats changed shifts and tried not to shiver in the night.

The two foxes had snuggled under Argenti's dark cloak, snoring loudly as Gaduss looked across the lake and tried to see the island.

A strange sensation slid across his back and he jumped up surprised to see the adder slithering next to him.

"You sssspoke truth, weassssel. Argenti isssss already replaccccing me," Nachasssh hissed softly.

Gaduss slowly sat back down in the boat next to the adder as the breeze returned. "What're you gonna do about it?" He whispered back.

"Thisssss island we sssseek, full of trapssss it is. Once we have sssssovreignty of it, a coup I ssssuggest," the snake said.

"How many of the rat guard would join us?" Gaduss whispered back.

"Perhapssss all of them. They are sssslavesss just like you," Nachasssh answered.

"Then fer now we keep this little mutiny atween us. What Ye say?" Gaduss remarked. The snake hissed again and then curled up near the weasel to rest.

Gaduss looked toward the two foxes, knowing that any sort of assassination would need to be done carefully. Then as he dreamed he saw a vision in the night.

Seveq cackling madly over the frail form of her mate, Argenti defeated by the coils of his own serpent.

Seveq wore the regal attire of a queen and behind her Gaduss saw several other foxes also laughing as she kicked her mate into a pit.

Deep below a snarling and hungry pike gobbled up the fox as he cried out with his last breath, calling out names that sounded almost like curses.

Mokkan.

Ziral.

Ascrod.

Vannan.

Gelltor.

Predak.

Lantur.

The names echoed in his mind as the pikes devoured Argenti and the weasel woke with a start, staring at the still living fox as they moved toward the eastern horizon.

"Perfect timing, Gaduss. We are nearing the island. Our new Home awaits," the silver and pale fox intoned.

He stood up in the log boat and looked toward the tall rocks that lined the island. Lime and mud mixed with sedimentary rock, perfect malleable material to build a fortress strong enough to withstand any attack.

And if my visions prove true, then the way to take down the fox is thru his lover, he thought wickedly as the water rats started rowing in excitement toward the shore.

As the large army of water rats took to the bountiful fruits on the shores of the island, Gaduss turned his attention to the trees and rocks just behind the beach. He could not help but to feel he was being watched.

Apparently Argenti felt the same way as he brandished his ax and snarled, "Show yourselves!"

From the inner jungle, the weasel saw a tribe of foxes emerge all carrying rudimentary maces and rapiers.

The small group of foxes watched the new comers warily as they made a few sounds that almost sounded like speech, clearly angry for the intrusion.

Argenti raised his paws defensively and snarled, "We mean only to make this place our home, to have it thrive and prosper from our guidance. You have no need for a quarrel here."

The feral foxes didn't seem to be too keen to the idea but Gaduss could tell they were considering it, especially given their number. The water rats easily could kill them all if the need arose, the weasel realized.

"Not welcomed, but stay," a taller gray fox remarked as they led the way deeper into the island and Seveq raised an eyebrow uncertain if they should follow.

Argenti acted unafraid as he wrapped his cloak tight around his body and had a group of the rats encircle him should the foxes change their mind.

Nachasssh slithered alongside the weasel and whispered, "Ssssstay alert. The moment we sssseek May be clossssseer than we realizzzze."

Gaduss didn't bother to acknowledge the adder as they walked thru the deep grass. He was too focused on the stones that made up the large mountain in the center of the island.

This is the place I saw in my dreams, where that silver fox will die, he realized. The tribal foxes led them thru a series of caverns with a few stray torches and Gaduss began to get a clearer idea of how this clan lived.

A dozen different baskets of small fish and fruit lined the east wall as they came to a large social chamber where about twelve more foxes were gathering and sharing the food amongst themselves. A few battles in the center ring as the one that had led them hear made a noise catching every beast's attention.

The large clan saw the unexpected visitors and started to snap and snarl even as the tribal leader said, "Strange beasts seek our guidance. Foretold this was in the legends of the lake. Hidden We would be until the silver one came. Now his reign begins!"

Argenti looked equally surprised by the words as all of them were and he wondered how such visions could have been part of this place's history.

"This is not the time for celebration but rather battle. Come brethren recite the prophecy!" The fox leader said loudly.

Almost instantly the others in the clan stopped what they were doing and began to chant in unison,

"Blood will cover the island as a king begins his reign.

Silver and pale will he be,

Hundreds will be slain.

A mighty army from the west will come ashore

And a legacy born of treachery will be like nothing afore.

Look! The White Ghost will haunt us and echo a great roar

And upon the island bring nothing but a pox. Savor these days afore the battle, and remember the divine name!

Marlfox!

Marlfox!

Marlfox!

As the prophecy came to an end they all looked toward Argenti to see if he understood any of the words but the silver fox remained silent.

"Sleep here tonight and prepare for battle we shall," the tribal leader answered.

The group of water rats followed into a smaller cove of the caverns to rest, but Gaduss could not help but to wonder about the impending battle that these natives warned them about.

"The shrews must be coming here for their revenge," The weasel reasoned.

"Ye don't really believe that superstitious nonsense do ya?" Seveq asked skeptically. "You would do well to do so! Remember those Redwallers believed in a spirit to guide them to battle' and they practically slaughtered us in them hills!" Gaduss spat back.

"Belief in something and it actually being real are two different things entirely. Some consider me magical, a healer and a ghost. But all I possess are the skills and know how to solve any problem," Argenti pointed out.

"There must be a reason that they think this prophecy of the Marlfoxes is true," Gaduss reasoned again. The two foxes looked toward one another uncertain what to believe. As the dawn came, the weasel decided to rise shortly before any of them woke and explore the mysterious ancient caverns.

It was clear the tribal foxes had not been the first here, likely having taken the island from another group of beasts and used their food to survive. They are far too feral to have made it Long out here he reasoned as he touched some of the smooth lime stone.

Suddenly one of the stones moved and he found himself staring a hidden tunnel that was shrouded in darkness.

Gaduss could not hide his curiosity as he stepped into the shadows peering at the peculiar claw marks that were scratched across the walls.

He found an aged torch and then took it back outside briefly to find a good source of light before dipping into the unseen ruins again.

Upon closer examination he realized the marks had to be that of a badger with its fierce and massive claws. And further into the cave he saw strange drawings.

He had recalled Damug's fear of the mountain of the badger Lord, knowing that at times the creatures possessed immense and unearthly strength.

As he looked over the paintings which resembled the imagery the tribal foxes gave in their prophecy he at last understood. Sometime in the distant past a badger had been here, conjured up a fever dream and left this warning for those who came to soil the island with their vengeance.

There were depictions of seven silver and pale foxes fighting over a glorified queen and a bright tapestry being draped and covered in blood as it was taken from the nearby abbey.

One key thing stood out amid the carvings, the Marlfoxes were a doomed race, plagued with fighting and treachery. All that the future held for this island was grief.

"The White Ghost," a voice said from behind him and he jumped a bit as he turned to see Seveq standing there.

"Look," she said pointing toward the massive image of a pale badger and Gaduss realized this must have been the Lord drawing himself to claim ownership for the vision.

"Seveq, if these visions are going to come about... we must leave this place. Stop this foolish quest for a kingdom and flee to the eastern coast," Gaduss warned his partner as they continued to peer at the imagery.

The vixen didn't seem to like that idea much as she touched the stones and then wandered back toward the tunnel.

Finally she spoke and declared, "We mustn't tell Argenti of this. His sole desire is to become king of a great legacy. We cannot rob him of that."

"Listen to yourself! That dumb fox has you dreaming of things that will never come about! Those shrews will come here and make fodder of us in days!" Gaduss snarled.

"Leave if you must, but my place is here. As his queen," she said as she touched her stomach gently.

The weasel narrowed his eyes and then made a sudden realization as they walked down the tunnel.

"You mated with him? When? Why have you done this," Gaduss snarled.

"It was not my intent, but his smooth words couldn't be turned away. I wish to be a queen; Gaduss! And this island will become my new kingdom! My children will make a legacy of power and fear that will spread across all of Mossflower!" Seveq answered.

"You're a sick and twisted vixen," The weasel said as they returned to where the silver fox was awakening.

"I hear drums," Argenti announced. The weasel felt his heart drop as he realized his chance to escape another blood bath was fading quickly. The shrews were already here to exact their vengeance.

Quickly the silver fox grabbed his ax and cloak and gestured for Seveq to follow as Gaduss stood there wordlessly and tried to figure out what his options might be.

He remembered Damug calling to arms as they rushed the abbey beasts and how dire that situation had turned in only a matter of minutes. The same could happen here, and all of these forces that Argenti trusts in be gone before the next sunset.

Grabbing his rapier his rushed out to the thick jungle to see a large swarm of shrews getting onto the shores of the island. Armed with bows and arrows and slings and swords, the shrews shouted out loud, "Logalogalogalog!"

The foxes pushed past him without hesitation, swinging their weapons high and fierce as an epic confrontation began. The weasel only found himself frozen in fear as flashes of the bloodshed from the ridge rattled his mind.

The foxes let out tribal cries as they took their staves and poles and rushed toward the shrews. The water rats smashed their blades against the frontline, a loud cry of pain echoing across the shoreline. Argenti swung up his ax and tore thru the shrews, blood splattering onto the sand.

Yet still he stood motionless at the cavern entrance, the visions and the carvings of the White Ghost haunting his thinking. Nachasssh slid up behind him, the young snake whispering softly, "Now'sssss our chanccccee to end thissss."

The weasel looked toward the heat of battle as the rats and foxes worked together to drive back the shrews and realized the young adder was right.

Argenti needs to die now, and perhaps these visions in my head will clear, Gaduss thought.

Steeling himself with as much courage as he could muster he ran toward the carnage, his target in his sights.

The male fox was busy swinging his axe about trying to ward off five shrews at once as they kept coming. His back side was completely open to attack.

The weasel felt his heart race as he met the challenge of striking down this false healer and he raised his rapier to throw it true.

As he finally convinced himself to finish it, another sound from above screeched across the clouds and Gaduss stumbled, his weapon falling from his paws.

Amid the cover of the mountains the magpies flew and began to drop rocks on the unprepared attackers. The shrews were suddenly on the defensive.

Now with even more forces to take down the shrews, the foxes regained their confidence and started forward once more. Gaduss found himself staring at the pale eyes of the silver fox.

Argenti knew what he had tried to do, the weasel realized as the others in the tribe drove the shrews back to the water.

A cheer erupted across the shores as the water rats looked toward the fallen and made certain to kill any stragglers. The raid was over as quickly as it had begun.

The fox said nothing to the weasel as he got back on his feet and then looked toward his new mate, Seveq was tired from battle and so Argenti quickly ordered the other foxes to take her inside.

Once they were alone, the fox held his ax close to Gaduss' snout and proclaimed, "All that I have done for you, to show you favor. And this is how you wish to repay my kindness?"

The weasel swallowed hard, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to survive. "Seveq, she is a crafty vixen. She told me to slay Ye, so the island could be hers! With your children she wished ta rule, and you nothing more than a haunting memory!" Gaduss answered.

Argenti's eyes sparkled in the daylight as he looked back toward the mountains.

"My queen? Betray me? How can this be?" He asked, as he walked toward the caverns. "We found the visions that the foxes believed in, yet nowhere on them was you, milord," Gaduss answered.

"The paintings of the future? Show them to me, now," Argenti ordered.

The two made their way quietly to the badger had used its claws and blood to peer into a possible future.

"The ramblings of a Mad beast," Argenti determined. "Your Queen feels they will come true," Gaduss intoned.

"You were wise to show this to me," the silver fox declared as he passed the weasel his weapon back.

"Now you will solidly prove your loyalty to me. This island is our victory. And none shall get in the way of my legacy. Once my queen has her litter, you will drive this thru her heart and end her treachery. Then we can rule together," Argenti said.

He looked down at the rapier and nodded grimly, knowing it was the only outcome that made sense.

XXXXX

Days turned cold as winter arrived on the island, and both Argenti and Seveq turned crueler as the threat of the shrews faded away.

They forced both the tribal foxes and the water rats to begin to dig into the stones and craft a castle worthy of their fever dream, a mighty fortress that would overlook the entire island. The foxes obeyed for belief in the prophecy of the silver one, and the water rats did so out of fear.

Gaduss alone held rank as he watched Seveq day and night, knowing that her pregnancy would likely end as the winter weeks did too.

The rats finished the castle as the ice began to make itself apparent across the hidden lake and soon the pregnant vixen began to raid the pantries and supplies on a daily basis.

Those who began to question the rule of the two foxes would be snatched up by the magpies and tossed into the lake, as they sunk all that could be heard were cries of anguish. The Teeth of the Deep were especially ravenous during this season.

Soon he transformed himself into her caretaker as Argenti stopped supplying her the medicine for her old wounds as as the contractions began.

Seveq became bound to a bed as she gave birth, Seven cubs were born to her, each as silver and pale as their father.

Gaduss knew that the task the male fox had given him of killing his mate was now at hand, and yet as he stared at the young fox litter and they nursed with their mother, he wondered if he could really bring himself to the task.

So he began to find reasons to delay her demise as the children started to grow and then at last Seveq named them.. Mokkan. Ziral. Ascrod. Vannan. Gelltor. Predak. Lantur.

The names immediately reminded him of the vision he held in his secrets, and he realized nothing had truly delayed what was to happen.

Unless I kill her now, these Marlfoxes will bring nothing but shame and loss to this island, he realized.

In the dark of the moon he found his way to her room, clutching the rapier high as he peered at her slumbering form, knowing that the act would be quick and painless. Her body a meal for the hungry pike.

He held his rapier over her neck, the weakened vixen barely stirring as he prepared to end it all. Then one of her pups cried in the night, and Seveq stared up at him, fear and realization entering her.

He tried to slam the blade down but she was too quick, Perhaps it was the adrenaline of the moment or her instinct as a mother. But the aged vixen had pinned him to the stony wall of the castle in a moment as she snarled angrily, "Why would you do this to your queen?"

As he tried to ignore the pain coursing thru his body he answered, "'Twas not I! Your husband! He sought to end You! You are nothing more than a nuisance to him!"

Seveq let him fall to the ground as she snarled angrily, quickly believing his words.

"Find the king!" She snapped to her guard as she fell down to her bed once more.

"Please milady, I can help you establish your kingdom fer all eternity!" Gaduss begged her as she tended to her children.

"Help me to finish off my husband, and then we will discuss your own fate," she decided as she had the rats fashion for her a type of palanquin that they could carry her on and quickly ordered them to take her toward the edge of the castle walls.

Other foxes had found Argenti who had been resting in the great hall of the castle, his temporary confusion coming to pass as he saw Gaduss.

"This weasel, he has told you that I wished to end your reign?" Argenti asked. "He came to me in shadows to kill me as a coward!" Seveq answered.

"Do you want to believe his lies or the love of your mate?" Argenti asked.

"My mate? All you sought me for was to make a kingdom for yourself! But this kingdom will be mine!" Seveq snarled.

Gaduss watched as the rats clamorred to push the male fox against the wall, Argenti was just barely clinging on as he demanded, "Seveq! You must realize that our place is with each other! Our Marlfoxes will rule this land forever!"

Her eyes became darker as she snapped back, "I abandon my name, and forgo my past to become the queen of beauty I was meant to be! As ruler of the Marlfoxes, my beauty will keep me alive for all my days! Seveq dies today! And so do you!"

Argenti cried out in horror as he fell back over the wall into the icy lake behind him and Gaduss looked down, watching as the pikes began to rip him apart.

The pain and screams covered the entire island as the rats lowered her palanquin and the vixen touched the weasel on his shoulder gently.

"You tried to betray us both," The vixen snarled.

"Only to beg the visions of these foxes to come to an end, milady," Gaduss pleaded seeing the Mad rage seething beneath her.

"They too wanted my beauty to come to an end? They sought to kill me?" she snapped as she turned toward her rats and made a new order, "Find them all! Kill them! Every fox that is not my kin will become a feast for the teeth of the Deeps!"

XXXXX

By night fall, the island of the Marlfoxes was covered in carnage like nothing he had seen before. The waters of the great inland sea were turned dark by blood as each and every fox was tossed over the battlement of the castle, and Gaduss watched in horror as the pikes filled themselves to the brim with the flesh of some that were still living when they hit the water.

Afterwards, the water rats that had once been faithful to Argenti served the queen of the Marlfoxes without question, listening to her every beck and call even when the requests were strange. As she began to grow ill, unable to stand on her own without the medicines that the silver fox gave her, she kept to her bed and made her children begin to wait on her hand and foot.

Even in her weakened state they never forgot her cruelty to her mate or the other foxes, and even ordered the hidden chamber in the caverns below the castle to be blocked off forever.

Having renounced her past as a Rapscallion The vixen renamed herself as Silth, Queen of the Marlfoxes and cruelly made all under her as slaves.

As though that would stop the visions from coming to pass, he thought. For the most part as the winter came to an end, Gaduss kept silent; feeling certain that anything he said against her would be looked at as treason.

Then as spring arrived a new threat came from the north woods, a mighty bird that tried to take back the island. The magpies who had once been loyal to Argenti now helped to take down the osprey, and as the battle commenced Gaduss realized his chance to escape might be now or never.

Grabbing a small bag of supplies, the weasel stole off into the east to search for boats that the rats had made during the winter. He was not going to waste his days trying to appease a Mad vixen any longer.

Pushing the boat onto onto the lake he heard the rats and the magpies attack near the west and he paddled like he had never done so before.

He was ashamed to run but knew his survival could not be here in this wretched place.

The farther from Castle Marl he went the more he thought of his partner in this murderous affair. The young adder Nachasssh had disappeared in the grove of the island after his master had passed. Who was to say if any would ever see the snake again?

He pushed on further eager to see the eastern shores again and be free from this vicious life.

Gone was his desire for blood or his thirst for power. He was tired and worn out. He wanted to hide and to be undisturbed.

He found that wish as he hit the eastern edge of the lake and looked toward the new dawn. A row of small coves could be seen near the coast and though he felt weary Gaduss trudged to them.

Gathering leaves and shrubs for bedding he settled near the first berth of where the Rapscallions had come ashore and made a new resolution in his heart.

My days as a scoundrel be over, I ain't raiding no more and won't harm another beast for as long as I live, the weasel swore.

As the days passed he took to fishing and to farming, his life of failures fading into the past as he had almost forgotten about the Marlfoxes and their ilk.

He kept to himself, and was determined to keep it that way. But life had a way of interrupting those plans as the seasons passed.

In his older days he tended to set traps for passers by near the forested areas west of the cove he called home. It kept riff raff away, but one day his trap had wounded a fully grown adder.

He realized it had to be the same one he once conspired with but knew that letting it live would be too dangerous. Taking his large fishing spear he moved toward the trap to finish it off.

Nachasssh seemed to remember him as well his eyes flickering dully as it was clear the seasons had not been kind to the snake.

"Will make it quick for ya," Gaduss promised but the now massive snake only sneered. "Ssssso many chancccces you had to proclaim yoursssself a sssssovreign during the raid. Sssso many failures. What makesss you think thissss time will be any different?" Nachasssh hissed.

He stepped closer to the adder trying to ignore his words and said, "if I let you live, you will only try to kill me later."

"My daysss are ending now whether you sssslay me or not. These woundsss are too ssssevere," the adder pointed out.

Gaduss was nearly atop him as he saw the snake was telling the truth and again he felt mercy. He could not bring himself to kill a wounded creature, even one as dangerous as this.

Nachasssh on the other hand saw his hesitation and immediately wrapped his coils around the weasel before he had a chance to escape.

"You sssimple vermin! Did you really think I would die and not takkke you with me?" The snake hissed loud as it tightened its grip.

Gaduss tried to fight back, but it was already to late as he felt his lungs tighten up. He dropped the spear and gasped, the visions from his past forming a complete picture as he realized the one he had seen doomed all along was not Argenti but himself.

With its last ounce of energy the mighty adder crushed him and broke his body like a twig and then Nachasssh felt his own strength fade as the wounds overtook him.

There the two of them lay, still and forgotten by any who passed them by; a testament to their thirst for power and the cost of such a quest.

Their bones would soon decay and become part of the Mossflower wood before any dared to trek those coasts again, and by then they were as hidden as the lake they had tried to control ages ago.

- _ **Fin**_ -


End file.
